Summary
Activision Blizzard titles have been slow to come toXbox Game Passsince Microsoft’s 2023 acquisition of the company. While the service did get a day-one release ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6and now hosts several other Activision titles, its current lineup barely scratches the surface of Activision Blizzard’s immense library. Disappointing as it may be for some users, there may be a good reason whyXbox Game Passhas taken so long to include more of these games.
Newer Activision-published games have showcased a strong trend of coming to Microsoft’s gaming subscription service. Apart from the aforementionedBlack Ops 6, leakers revealed thatTony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4would be a day-one titleon Xbox Game Pass, which Xbox later confirmed. Future releases in those series are likely to follow suit, but the backlog of older Activision games that still have not made their way onto Xbox Game Pass is still sizable, despite Microsoft owning the company for over a year at this point.
The Verge’s Tom Warren offered some insight into why it’s taken so long for Activision Blizzard games to come to Game Pass while on the Xbox Two podcast.According to Warren, the process of getting an older game onto the service is a long and complicated one, regardless of the publisher. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer saidit would take time for Xbox Game Pass to get Activision titlesback when Microsoft first acquired the company, and some of the same reasons may still apply. Warren pointed out that some older games need modernization, like getting them to support cloud save files, before they can work on the platform, which takes considerable development-related time and effort.
Modernization and Licensing Barriers May Pose Challenges to Activision Blizzard Games on Xbox Game Pass
Warren also cited potential licensing concerns as a possible obstacle. While Microsoft may own Activision Blizzard now, old royalty deals with voice actors and similar contracts may need updating or addressing before Xbox can start giving away a game on Xbox Game Pass. It’s worth noting that these suggestions are speculation, but it would make sense if Microsoft was facing such challenges. The Activision acquisitiondrove a 51% Xbox Gaming revenue increasethe following quarter andCall of Duty’s Game Pass launch was a big financial success, so the relative lack of Activision Blizzard titles on the platform likely does not come from a lack of faith in their potential to drive profits.
Regardless of what’s causing things to take so long, Xbox is slowly adding more Activision Blizzard games to its subscription service. 2021’sBlizzard Arcade Collectioncame to Xbox Game Passin March, bringing five titles from the studio in one. As for what’s next, fans will have to wait and see.
